Opening of the Third European Transgender Council in Malmoe over shaded by racist and transphobic attack

In the night of September 30th two delegates from Turkey of the Third European Transgender Council were attacked by a group of five to seven people when leaving a restaurant. The trans activists have been harassed verbally and subject to physical violence.

“There is no safe space for transgender people in Europe. Last night’s attack showed once more that transphobia and racism are not only a problem of certain countries in Europe. Transphobia is everywhere”, says TGEU Vice chair Julia Ehrt.

“We express our solidarity with our activist friends. We are sad and angry and call upon the police to do everything to persecute the perpetrators,” says Dr Carsten Balzer from the “Transrespect versus Transphobia Worldwide” TvT- Research project.

The incident will be followed by the RFSL hate crime coordinator to ensure proper follow-up.

The 3rd European Transgender Council, organized by Transgender Europe in conjunction with a local organizing team in Malmoe brings together more than 200 activists from 35 different countries.

The largest European Human rights event on transgender issues deals among other topics with hate crimes and violence faced by gender variant people. In the last 30 months 33 transgender people were reported of being murdered in Europe according to TGEU’s TvT-project. 79% of trans people are subject to negative comments, harassment, physical and sexual abuse and violence according to the European Hate Crime Study published by Press for Change last year.

The Council is starting today with a video message from Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights at the Council of Europe and Vladimir Luxuria former member of the Italian Parliament. It will last until Sunday October 3rd.

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6 Responses to “Sweden – No safe for trans people – Opening of Council overshadowed by racist and transphobic attack…”

According to Pink News, the incident happened in Bergsgatan. That is not exactly a good area at night, to put it mildly.

In that area, there has been quite a few clashes between immigrants and non-immigrants, shootings, a couple of bombings over protection money and clashes between rival drug gangs.

So much for TGEU advertising it had everything well organised. Then again, they do appear to be like PFC, all mouth and nothing substantial.

Who ever came up with the demented idea to have that meeting in Malmö, needs there head looked at. Copenhagen is literally just across the bridge from malmö. It is a major metropolitan area and very safe.

Bergsgatan in Malmö, is not a safe place at night for anyone, let alone TS’s or TV’s. That entire area is the middle of a gang war over drug dealing and protection rackets, at present. There has been numerous shootings and pipe bombings in that area in the last two years.

Stockholm or Copenhagen would have been better.

To be honest Copenhagen would be a brilliant place for the meeting, as it is very open minded, unlike Malmö which has a substantial minority who want Sharia law.

I really would love to know what was going through the minds of the organisers when they choose Malmö for this meeting.

I promised myself not to visit blogs of this kind again. But since I came here googling for information on what happened this weekend and read some of the wrongful statements above, I feel I should respond.

I did not attend the tgeu, because I do not consider myself being an activist, I’m a “normal” girl, living a “normal” life, mostly. Trans activism in Sweden is largely dominated by ageing TV’s (some of which have gone through a sex change, and by some curious quirk of faith now consider themselves being the spokepersons for the “primary” or “genuine” transsexuals in politics and the media, though probably no one within the swedish health care system considers them such ), or by the FTM community (who usually couldn’t care less about those labels). Everything is quite farcical.

To the point. I have lived in downtown Malmö for the last 15 years, and I consider it to bee a very safe and friendly environment for trans people. In the past we have had night clubs (straight hangouts) letting tgirls and DQ’s in for free (were you usually were charged for entrance), because they wanted us there. Malmö also have a fairly large group of gay men going out partying and clubbing dressed in female drag during the weekends. Some of them work as DJ’s, bartenders, hostesses..

Now, Malmö has a large part of immigrants in its population. People who have fled here seeking asylum from home countries at war or other political prosecution. People who are emotionally scared, for whatever reason. And there has been disturbances within the immigrant groups, and between second generation immigrants and swedish authorities. That part is all true.. But hate crimes against GLBT in Malmö has been exceptionally rare! In fact I can only think of one incident that made the news, ever. A couple of years ago a young gay man was murdered in his home by a group of neonazi (indigenous swedes) he made contact with on a online dating service, posing as gay men themselves.

Of course hate crimes against GLBT people in Sweden, though rare, do happen. But then they do it’s usually in the non urban parts. And I actually fell safer at home, in Malmö, than I do when a visit Stockholm on the rare occasion. Or Copenhagen, across the bridge..

Berggatan, which was mentioned above, is one of the larger streets in Malmö, going straight across the larger part of the city. I walk across, or down the street many times every week, day or night. Feeling completely safe, never having been a victim of a hate crime (or even been yelled “tranny” at). Admittedly, I do pass well enough, so I’m told. But I’m hardly undetectable for someone aware of the existence tgirls.. or by guys unsecure of their own sexuality mistaking WBP (Women Born with Pussys) for transsexuals. Can’t think of any sisters having had any trouble there either.

So, I am shocked and puzzled by these incidents at the tgeu to say the least.

Crown Night club is hardly a “brothel”. It’s situated in the same building as “Malmö Concert Hall”. Across the street you find Malmö City Hall.

I went to the crown a few months back. I saw enough to quickly know what it was and leave. I don’t refuse to see things because they are inconvenient. They don’t hide the drug dealing to much in that club.

Being across from malmö concert hall does not make somewhere safe. Go check where some of the bombings of cafe’s have been in the last few years. A few were just around the corner.

As for Bergsgatan. At present some of the gangs are at each others throats there.

Also the trannies that went there are very obvious, which did not help matters.

I socialise sometimes in Malmö with friends, but also avoid large tracts of it, which are becoming lawless. Malmö has a serious law and order problem which is getting worse.

Within a few years there will be no jews left in Malmö. I wonder which minority is next.

Regarding the activists in Sweden. The majority of them, you are correct. The RFSL group have managed to get together a pile of what I can only describe as lunatics, for activists.